”Delivery driver was captured driving on the lawn to drop off package.” As homeowners who have experienced property damages caused by mail carriers, you may not be surprised at such news. Some lazy and negligent mailmen do drive off your driveways, throw your fragile packages from a distance and even tear up your grass. Continue reading and learn how to deal with postmen damaging your driveways, lawns, mailboxes and packages!
Table of Contents:
- What Can You Do If Mail Carriers Damage Your Property
- Is USPS Liable for Property Damages: Explicit Answers Here
Here is the key information to deal with mail carriers damaging your property:
| Property | Driveways/lawns/mailboxes/packages |
| How to Do | 11 solutions |
| Solutions | Install security cameras, etc. |
| Liability | USPS is liable for damage |
Top 11 Solutions to Deal with Delivery Drivers Who Damaged Your Packages, Mailboxes, Driveways & Yards
Complaints on mailmen damaging packages, storm doors, driveways and lawns can be found in forums from time to time.
To stop delivery drivers trespassing on your property, you may try out the following solutions which are adopted by many families:
Solution 1. Install a Large Mailbox at the End of Your Driveways
A simple solution to keep mail carriers from driving on your grass is to replace your small mailbox with a larger one and put it at the end of your driveway.
In this way, delivery drivers won't need to enter your yard and leave your packages unattended in the front porch.
Solution 2. Set Up Warning Signs to Keep Mail Carriers from Walking on Your Grass
To save time and obey the so-called "no back up" rules issued by the mail suppliers, some delivery drivers will drive off your driveways, take a U-turn on the lawn and tear up your grass after dropping off packages.
To stop mailmen damaging your grass and yard, you may set up warning signs saying "No Driving on the Grass" or "Driveway Only" in front of your lawn, on your mailbox or in other obvious places.
Solution 3. Install Security Cameras to Catch Mail Carriers Damaging Your Property in the Act
If USPS drivers keep messing up yards or damaging your packages, mailboxes and driveways, collect as much concrete evidence like security camera footage, pictures of damaged driveways and torn-up lawn as possible.
These proofs will be very helpful when you contact the post office and seek a settlement on the property damages caused by delivery drivers.
With security cameras installed outside your home, you are able to catch the mail carriers damaging your packages and driveways in the act as well.
The CCTV footage below captured by Reolink RLC-410 is the best example:
A lazy mailman throws a fragile package to the customer's front door from a distance and he even believes it is totally acceptable!
Reolink RLC-410
PoE Bullet IP Security Camera with Audio
5MP/4MP Super HD; Outdoor/Indoor Protection; 100ft Infrared Night Vision; Audio Recording; Mobile Remote Access & Control.
Solution 4. Deliver Packages to Post Offices or Your Workplace
If your packages are due when you are at work or on vacation, you may also ask the post office to deliver packages to your workplace or maintain them in the post station as well.
By doing so, you are able to ensure that delivery drivers won't drive off your driveways randomly or ruin your grass.
Solution 5. Reschedule Delivery Time When You're at Work or on Vacation
Aside from changing delivery destinations, you may communicate with the post office and reschedule the delivery time in advance to avoid mailmen driving on your grass.
Or else, your parcels may be left unattended in the open air just like the video below show, which is captured by Reolink Argus 2:
Reolink Argus 2
100% Wire-Free Starlight Camera
Rechargeable Battery & Solar Powered; Outdoor/Indoor Protection; 1080 Full HD; Starlight Night Vision; 2-Way Audio; Live View Anytime Anywhere.
Solution 6. Install a Motion-Activated Sprinkler/Alarm System
Another way to keep mail carriers from ruining your grass to set up a motion-activated sprinkler or alarm system at your yard.
When the postal carriers drive on your lawn, they will trigger the system and learn a lesson from your small tricks. In this way, they will avoid driving on the grass next time when they deliver parcels to you.
Solution 7. Contact Post Office/Postal Inspectors
Supposed that USPS drivers have damaged your packages, it is best for you to make direct contact with the post office which is in charge of your delivery.
Show the inspectors the solid evidence that you have collected, file an insurance claim and negotiate to reach a settlement.
Solution 8. Contact Your Insurance Companies as Well
If you have insurance for your property, then don't forget to contact your insurance companies when mail carriers damage your driveways, lawn, and yards.
With concrete evidence that proves delivery drivers speeding down your driveways, the insurance companies will compensate for your loss and solve the property damage issues with the post office or mail suppliers.
So, you won't bother filing a claim on your own or keep waiting for the response from postal inspectors for a quite long time but get no results.
Solution 9. Ring the Hotline of Your Mail Suppliers
Another practical solution to deal with delivery drivers damaging your packages and property is to directly dial the hotline of mail suppliers, for example, USPS at (800) 522-9085.
To make the talk go smoother, prepare the following in advance:
• A collection of proofs
• A computer or a tablet
• A piece of paper and a pen
With these preparations, you may state the property damage issues, put forward your requirement of damage compensation and take notes of the possible solutions during the talk, which will increase the chance that your claims get approved.
Don't forget to summarize your claims in a complaint email with evidence attached and send to the customer service of your mail suppliers.
Solution 10. Communicate with Local Media to Put Stress on Mail Suppliers
If mail suppliers give you the runaround on a property damage claim, just tell them that you are going to contact to the local news and give them some solid evidence like video footage captured by your security cameras.
And, this solution has been proven to be effective (click here to see a piece of relevant news):
A postmaster sent an apology to a homeowner after the resident contacted the WBTV and said his yard was repeatedly damaged by the postal vehicles.
Solution 11. File a Tort Claim to Deal with Mail Carriers Damaging Your Driveways & Yard
When the solutions above don't work and you have no ideas on how to deal with mailmen damaging your property, seek help from local attorneys and file a tort claim against USPS.
As a report on tort claims management indicates, the western area of the United State and its 12 districts have paid $12.8 million for about 3,500 tort claims in fiscal years 2016 and 2017.
That is to say, mail suppliers like USPS will cover the cost of your property damages once your tort claim is approved.
To learn how to successfully file a tort claim with USPS, you may skip to part 2.
What have I missed? Do you have any similar experience? And how do you deal with delivery drivers who damaged your property? Share your solutions in the comment section and we will add them to the list above!
Are Mail Suppliers Liable for Damaged Property? Here's All to Know
Filing a tort claim is also a practical solution to deal with delivery driver damaging driveways, lawn & yard and request compensation for your damaged property.
However, among a sample of 113 tort claims, only 10 of that claims have been processed correctly, as a report on tort claims shows.
So, what are the reasons for those unapproved claims?
To make your tort claims process smoother, make sure that you are aware of the following:
#1. Is USPS Liable for Damaged Property
According to the Office of Inspector General, USPS tort claims include claims for damage to or loss of property caused by the negligent or wrongful act or omission of an employee acting within the scope of his/her employment.
Simply put, USPS is liable for damaged property and you may file a tort claim to request compensation for your loss.
However, you have to make sure that there are actual damages to your properties caused by USPS mail carriers since you cannot take legal action against USPS for poor service.
#2. Why Is Your Tort Claim Unapproved
As mentioned above, merely 8.8% of the tort claims, which is 10 out of 113, have been processed correctly. The main reasons for the disapproval include:
• No supporting evidence (23%, 26 of the 113 tort claims)
• Missing or incomplete forms and documentation (88%, 99 of the 113 tort claim files)
• Inaccurate information in the tort claim system (46%, 52 of the 113 tort claim files)
If you're also planning to file a tort claim against the postmen damaging your property, you'd better prepare a copy of sufficient supporting evidence and manage the documentation carefully.
Also note that filing a tort claim is very different from filing an insurance claim with USPS. You may click here to learn more details on how to file tort claims for property damages arising out of the USPS' operation.
Resources:
① A City-Data's OP: If mail carrier damages my personal property, how can I deal with this problem?
② A Redditor: My mailman is destroying my yard. What can I do?
③ An Amazon Buyer: A huge problem is that the postal carrier backs up hitting lawn ornaments, mailboxes and other cars. What can I do to keep them from doing so?
④ A Just Answer's User: A USPS worker drove on my brand-new concrete driveway with snow chains on and damaged our driveway all the way up causing deep gouges in the concrete. Who pays the damages?
⑤ A DIS Board's OP: Our regular USPS delivery person has been caught on video throwing our packages onto our front porch for multiple times. So what would you do to deal with that mailman?
This is waaay out of date – for one, US mailmen are now contract employees, and most of the damage is being caused by multiple Amazon contract delivery
These people are operating on strict deadlines to deliver ridiculous amounts of mail and packages and you want to nitpick every little thing they do. If it's something eggregious like throwing your fragile package, I can understand. If you have a tight driveway with no turnaround solution, then that mail carrier is probably going to pull onto the grass to turn around. Don't like it? Expand the size of your drive way or put a parcel locker at the end like an old recycle bin for oversized packages. You people want your mail and millions of packages in a timely manner but don't want the civil servants delivering it to do what's necessary to ensure they get there.
Every job has deadlines. Mail carriers stop on the road and get out of their car to deliver most of the time. If FedEx and UPS can deliver an ”oversize package” perfectly fine, the mail carriers can as well.
@Jason@disqus_uhfbgCp9qb:disqus that's right well said.
@poppapoppy:disqus so I guess you're perfectly fine with the property you own is being damaged by mail carriers taking shortcuts thru your property to deliver mail on a daily basis? I have to maintain my property due to HOA bylaws. So when I spend my funds on upkeep of my property that I will be compliance with my bylaws & then have video of carriers taking these shortcuts & making a visible trail over time on my lawn & have constantly spoken to some of the disrespectful carriers about their acts what do you suggest? I have repeatedly gone to my local post office to complain and was told ”We train them to do this”. Go Figure!?!?!?!?!?!? Am I supposed to accept this????
and aren't mail carriers supposed to make sure your mail is secure, like not exposed to rain or snow when that security is available — like a front porch? the mail carrier delivered a Priority Mail package to my house the other day and threw it in the dirt at the side of my garage. the package was damp and dirty and NEVER had this before. Packages too large for my mail receptacle have always been delivered on my front porch (Amazon, UPS, Fedex and yes, USPS). Does anyone know what the official USPS policy is for packages being left JUST anywhere on your property if it doesn't fit in your mailbox?